I Hate All Your Favorite Bands

Santigross

2012-01-18T18:25:00.000-08:00

Ugh, this is the worst thing I've heard all year. Granted, the year just started 2 weeks ago, but still. Nobody likes this shit, do they - this irritating cut-rate M.I.A. knockoff (M.I.A. herself being an over-hyped, talent-less hack that only white hipsters claim to like simply so they can feel better about not having any black friends)? Honestly, it sounds like a bunch of "producers" just randomly threw together a bunch of sounds and beats, mixed those with the terrible tribal music you'd hear at a head shop, looped in a bunch of nonsensical lyrics and said, "here you go, Santigold, here's your new song."

Also, hella sick video, brah!

Apparently Santigold's live show is "full of the sort of dancehall and dancesteps that'd make Skerrit Bwoy go dagger-up." I have no idea what that means, but it sounds awful. Go fuck yourself.

Button It

2011-12-20T02:53:00.000-08:00

Don't tell me, don't tell me

Don't tell me, I don't really need to know

Don't tell me, don't tell me

Don't tell me, I don't really want to know

You think you're so fucking cool

You're just a stupid ugly girl

And if I would blow out my brains I would never have to see your face again

Don't tell me, don't tell me

Don't tell me, I don't really need to know

Don't tell me, don't tell me

Don't tell me, I don't really want to know

You seem to think you have it all

Everyone should be at your beck and call

And if I would swallow a million pills, it'd be the first time that I've smiled in years

FU

2011-09-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

So. Fucking. Stupid.

Kreayshit

2011-07-13T15:50:00.001-07:00

I have good news for Lady Caca, Sublime, and Die Antwoord; you're no longer the worst fucking artists in the world. Meet the new reigning queen of shit - Kreayshawn.

OK, seriously, what the fuck is this garbage? Apparently this horrible human being is the hottest new hip-hop sensation. Ugh. All I see is some weed-addled hipster with delusions of grandeur, who dresses like a ghetto Minnie Mouse and thinks she can rap. She looks like a moron and her "talent" is a joke (as proven by her hella sick freestyle session on MTV). Also, calling this "rap" is a stretch. It's like she inhaled some helium and just said a bunch of words. She's the poor man's MC Chris.

When I first saw this video, I automatically assumed it was a joke. How on earth could anyone
A. Like this shit
B. Take it seriously

Honestly, this is so unbelievably awful, that it's not even funny. But that's not really the point. The point is that this waste of space just signed a record deal, and will probably be huge, when there are truly talented, intelligent females in the hip-hop community that are MUCH more deserving. People are always complaining that there are no positive female role models in hip-hop, then they go make a star out of Kreayshawn. It's fucking absurd.

Fuck you to anybody that helped make this retard famous. Go punch yourself in the taint because you're a fucking asshole.

The Only Band That Matters

2011-04-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Dead Milkmen - The King in Yellow

2011-03-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

The King in Yellow, the brand new album from The Dead Milkmen (their first new album in 16 years) - is available to purchase today!!!!

Visit the band’s website to sample all 17 tracks, and to purchase the entire digital album for only $9.99. If you don’t go buy this record right now, we can no longer be friends. I will also probably kill you.

Face it, even if this record is a total letdown (which is not at all possible), it's still going to be 300 times better than Mumford and Sons or Nicki Minaj or whatever terrible shit you normally listen to.

My Fucking Jeans

2011-03-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should be nice since the performer of this "song" is a 12 year old girl. But fuck that. This shit is beyond terrible. Hey awful little girl, just because you discovered autotune, doesn't mean you should attempt a singing career. I have a sneaking suspicion that your "Toddlers and Tiaras" obsessed mom put you up to this in an attempt to live vicariously through you and whatever minor fleeting fame you might achieve. Sorry that your mom got knocked up when she was young and never got to fulfill her dreams of becoming a groupie or a celebrity hair dresser or whatever, but that's no excuse for making you sing terrible songs about stupid shit. Stop now, please. Save yourself years of anguish once your 15 minutes are up (and they will be up soon, trust me. REAL soon). Go back to playing Barbies with your pals and leave the shitty music to Lady Caca. She's got the market cornered right now anyways.

Also, what the fuck does "jack my swag" mean? That doesn't sound like something a 12 year old girl should be saying.

Best of 2010

2011-01-05T17:38:00.000-08:00

Well, 2011 is upon us. That must mean that it's time for me to impress you with my awesome taste in music. Overall, '10 was a pretty lackluster year for music. There was no Feel Good Together. No Forget The Night Ahead. No Primary Colours. No record that immediately grabbed you, and didn't let go for months on end. When Arcade Fire and Kanye West are considered the cream of the musical crop, you know it was a disappointing year.

That being said, 2010 wasn't a total loss. There were several exceptional records that struck a chord. Those are listed below.

Since I acquire hundreds of records every year, it's nearly impossible to limit my selections to a mere top 10. Deal with it.

As usual, the first five albums are those which I consider the absolute best of 2010. The records which most impressed me, and have been on semi-regular rotation since the time of their release. The others are what I consider "the rest of the best." I'll list those alphabetically since it'd be far too difficult to assign each one an individual ranking. I already put way too much thought, time, and energy into this list. This shit wouldn't be done until 2012 if I had to decide which was number 6 and which was number 25.

If you plan on picking up any of these albums, I urge you to actually leave your homes and go get them from your local independent music store. If that idea sounds completely archaic to you, please download these from a paid download site. For the most part, the following bands deserve, and could actually use the money.

So, without further ado, here are the best records of 2010.

1. Smoke or Fire
The Speakeasy
(Fat)
Personal, political, and catchy as hell, The Speakeasy is Smoke or Fire's crowning achievement. After a brief hiatus, the Richmond, VA melodic punk stalwarts deliver their most mature and consistent record to date. No easy feat considering their previous album, The Sinking Ship, was one of the best records of 2008.

2. Die! Die! Die!
Form
(Flying Nun)
These New Zealand post-punk revivalists blindsided me with this bombastic, chaotic collection of songs. Where the hell did this record come from? And how did it slip by so many people?

3. Leatherface
The Stormy Petrel
(No Idea)
Sunderland, England's grandfathers of gruff melodic punk return with their best album since 1991's groundbreaking, Mush. Lyrically, Frankie Stubbs continues to mix the sublime with the absurd. Musically, the band covers head-bobbing, sing-along punk anthems, mid-tempo ballads, and everything in between. All with exciting results.

4. Ten Kens
For Posterity
(Fat Cat)
3 months after first listening to this album, I still can't wrap my head around it. Ten Kens seem to have created a sub-genre of math rock to call their own, creating complex, dissonant songs with frequent time changes, jagged guitars, and doomy vocals. This record would probably be closer to number 1 on this list if I wasn't still so happily confused by it.

5. Amusement Parks On Fire
Road Eyes
(Filter)
Beautifully textured sonic shoegaze from this British quintet. These guys continue to expand their sound with each release. If the opening notes of "Flashlight Planetarium" don't get you hooked, there's something wrong with you.

The Rest of the Best
Troy Von Balthazar How To Live On Nothing (Third Side)
Blonde Redhead Penny Sparkle (4AD)
Calories Basic Nature (Tough Love)
Dessa A Badly Broken Code (Doomtree)
Stephen Egerton The Seven Degrees Of Stephen Egerton (Paper + Plastick)
The Electronic Anthology Project The Electronic Anthology Project (Self Released)
Envy Recitation (Temporary Residence)
Sage Francis Li(f)e (Strange Famous)
Interpol Interpol (Matador)
Killing Joke Absolute Dissent (Fontana/Spinefarm)
The Kissaway Trail Sleep Mountain (Bella Union)
Les Savy Fav Root For Ruin (French Kiss)
Me You Us Them Post Data (Triple Down)
Nachtmystium Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2 (Century Media/Candlelight)
The National High Violet (4AD)
The Prids Chronosynclastic (Velvet Blue Music)
The Sainte Catherines Fire Works (Anchorless)
Sweet Cobra Mercy (Metal Blade)
The Twilight Sad The Wrong Car EP (Fat Cat)
Two Cow Garage Sweet Saint Me (Suburban Home)
We Were Promised Jetpacks The Last Place You'll Look EP (Fat Cat)
White Lung It's The Evil (Deranged)
Wild Nothing Gemini (Captured Tracks)

Husker Du - Up In The Air: Studio Outtakes

2010-11-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

Husker Du - Up In The Air: Studio Outtakes

This is a pretty cool bootleg album that contains outtakes from the New Day Rising, Zen Arcade, Warehouse: Songs and Stories, Candy Apple Gray, and Living End albums.

Erase Today
Listen
Some Kind of Fun
Gotta Lotta
Can't See You Anymore
Do You Remember?
Sore Eyes
Dozen Beats
All Work And No Play
Misty Modern Days
All This I've Done For You
Just Be
You Can Live At Home
Tell You Why Tomorrow
Charity, Chastity, Prudence, and Hope
She's a Woman (And Now He Is A Man)
These Important Years (Live)
Charity, Chastity, Prudence, and Hope (Live)
Could You Be The One? (Live)
Chartered Trips (Live)
Green Eyes (Live)
Never Talking To You Again (Live)
Gotta Lotta (Live)

Download link above.

Drag the River - 2010 Demons

2010-10-22T10:47:00.001-07:00

Drag the River are offering a pay-what-you-want download of their brand new record, 2010 Demons. Click the link below to stream or download the album. Here’s a brief description of 2010 Demons:

This is what Drag The River songs sound like as they are being written. Before the amps are turned on and the drums are set. 10 of 24 songs tracked in July & August of 2010. The songs will be rerecorded for a brand new studio album in 2011.

Drag The River - 2010 Demons

The Age Old Question

2010-10-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

Like you even had to ask.

Also, props to MySpace for tackling this ever-important subject.

Against Pee!

2010-08-24T11:29:00.001-07:00

I may or may not do this to New Wave. But I'd definitely do this to White Crosses. Man, what the fuck happened to Against Me???? They used to be SO good.

Overrated Crap

2010-08-04T15:41:00.001-07:00

In honor of Arcade Fire putting everyone to sleep with their boring new record, let's make a list of all the other annoying, irritating, overrated crap that makes hipsters jizz in their too-tight girl jeans.

MGMT
Vampire Weekend
Sleigh Bells
M.I.A.
Connor Oberst (and all of his shitty bands and side projects)
Animal Collective
Wavves
Crystal Castles or Antlers or Stilts or whatever. They all suck.
The XX

Am I forgetting anyone? I'm sure I am.

The Edge (of the knife I'll use to stab myself after listening to this shit)

2010-06-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sweet fucking Christ, have you seen this shit? If you watch Adult Swim as regularly as I do, then no doubt you've seen the commercials for The Edge - the latest collection of all the terrible alt-rock and nu-metal jamz that you never liked in the first place. Who the fuck listened to this fucking crap anyways? And why do they need a 3 CD set celebrating it? Seriously, even if you did listen to these songs back in the day, didn't you hear them at enough frat houses, tailgate parties, and Nascar rallies that you'd NEVER WANT TO HEAR THEM AGAIN?

The tracklisting is completely laughable - an absurd hodgepodge of one-hit wonders (American Hi-Fi, Jet, Finger Eleven), Christian nu-metal (P.O.D, Evenescense), cookie-cutter alt-rock (Our Lady Peace, Three Doors Down, Everclear), and crappy mall-punk (Yellowcard, Simple Plan, Sum 41) that would make any douchebag squeal with glee. I guess if you're looking to bro-down with the homies and crack open a Natty Ice, then this is the collection for you. Ugh.

Iglu & Fartly

2010-06-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

Listen up y'all. Iglu & Hartly is your new favorite band. It's like Sugar Ray and 311 joined forces to create the ultimate summer jam!!! This song makes me want to kick back a luke-warm Miller Chill, smoke a doob with my bros, and date-rape some 15 year old girls. Or boys.

It's Everywhere You DON'T Want To Be

2010-05-06T15:59:00.001-07:00

Seriously, what the shit is this?

1. Who the fuck actually listens to Hinder?

2. Who listens to and loves Hinder so much that they need a Hinder Visa card?

3. If you answered "me" to either of the above questions, punch yourself in the genitals. I hate you.

4. Also, kill yourself.

Rolling Chode

2010-04-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

For the last year or so, I've been receiving issues of Rolling Stone Magazine in the mail. Keep in mind, I never ordered a subscription, and I've never paid for an issue, but they still keep sending them. It's such an asinine and irrelevant magazine these days, that I suppose this is the only way they can get people to read. Anyways, the latest issue showed up while I was away this weekend, and as you can see by the magnificent cover, Rolling Stone really has their shit together. First of all, The State of Rock is the title of your issue, but you feature the fucking Black Eyed Peas on the cover? Way to go, retards. And the subtitle of the very same issue is "40 Reasons to Get Excited About Music starring The Black Eyed Peas." Really? REALLY? Only 12 years olds and fucking mutants get "excited" about the Black Eyed Peas. Christ man, come on. You're not even trying anymore, are you Rolling Stone? I have yet to thumb through the rest of the issue (I honestly can't get past this fucking cover), but I'm afraid of what I might find if I do. Most likely Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Lil' Wayne. Ugh.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

2010-03-17T17:24:00.001-07:00

MTV News is reporting this, which, unfortunately, means it's probably true. What this also means is that I turn my back on Quentin Tarantino forever.

How I Feel in 140 Characters or Less

2010-03-11T22:47:00.001-08:00

Animal Chodelective

2010-03-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

I know it's cool to say you like Animal Collective, but nobody actually listens to them, do they?

I Like All Your Favorite Bands???

2010-03-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

I'm going through a weird transitional time right now, and I'm wondering if maybe I'm an asshole. I mean, I know I'm extremely judgmental when it comes to music (this blog should prove that) and movies and other pop-culture ephemera, but is this holding me back? Do my loud, often obnoxious opinions make me look like a huge dick? Am I alienating people that I would benefit from having in my life? Am I single (and did my last girlfriend break up with me) because I talk too much shit about people's personal tastes?

Maybe. And maybe, at 34 years old, I need to reevaluate my life.

What to do, what to do.

I guess I have some thinking to do. And some decisions to make. Bear with me, loyal readers. In the meantime, consider this: if you listen to Lady Gaga or Ke$ha you're a gigantic retarded asshole.

My Top Artists for the Week of 2/26/10 - Provided by Last.fm

2010-02-27T13:56:00.000-08:00

Bampoozle

2010-02-27T00:09:00.000-08:00

Um, no.

Jesus, really? This is what passes for a music festival lineup these days? Christ. This is almost as bad as Soundgarden, Green Day, and Lady Gaga headlining Lollapalooza this year. Seriously, what the fuck??

The only "band" missing here is 3OH!3.

I weep for the future.

Bumblr

2010-02-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

So, I started a Tumblr blog a while ago mainly because I like their layout and dashboard better than Blogger's. I also really like their reblogging feature. And I like how updates from blogs I follow on Tumblr show up in a Facebook-esque News Feed style. But whatever, this post isn't about comparing and contrasting these two popular blogging sites. What this post IS about is sharing what I've learned about most Tumblr users in the short time I've been a part of the Tumblr community. So, without further ado:

Tumblr users love Lady Gaga. Like LOVE her. Even the most metal-minded, punk-rock lovin, indier-than-thou hipsters think she's great. Amazing. And awful.
Tumblr users also love their Ryan Adams. Almost as much as they love their Lady Gaga.
Tumblr users love their Brand New. I swear to Christ I thought Tumblr was going to explode a few weeks ago when a rumor spread that Brand New were breaking up.
Tumblr users love their "Friday Night Lights." I have never seen this show. Nor do I ever intend to.
Tumblr users love their hockey. I can't figure out if this is a normal thing, or if it's just because the Olympics are on.
Tumblr users love Alkaline Trio and their new record (see my previous post for my thoughts on this).
Tumblr users love puppies and kitties (I'm 100% ok with this).
Tumblr users like to whine and bitch about ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends.
Tumblr users are emo.
Tumblr users love "Glee."

Even though I utterly despise and/or don't give a shit about most of the things I mentioned above, this isn't a slight on Tumblr users. After all, I am one myself. Most all of the Tumblr blogs I follow are fantastic. I just felt the need to point out what seem to be the most popular topics on Tumblr. And how surprised I am by them.

Alkaline Trio

2010-02-25T12:16:00.001-08:00

So, this is going to be kind of an awkward post for me. Generally on this blog I either flat out talk shit about your terrible favorite bands, or highly praise (and/or jerkoff) my awesome favorite bands. Alkaline Trio make this a tough formula to stick to. And here's why: I've been an Alkaline Trio fan for years...from right around the time From Here to Infirmary came out. I had heard of the band before that, and I knew a little about them, but it wasn't until I first heard FHTI that I realized what a great, talented bunch of dark disturbing individuals they were. Their first four records (Goddamnit, Alkaline Trio, Maybe I'll Catch Fire, and FHTI), are absolutely essential, as are their splits with One Man Army and Hot Water Music. The three follow-ups to FHTI (Good Mourning, Crimson, and Remains) are pretty damn good too, and certainly worth owning. But then it happened. Alkaline Trio signed with Columbia and released the shittiest album of their career - Agony and Irony. Luckily, the album was panned by critics and fans, tanked, and the band was subsequently dropped by Columbia Records. I had all but given up on Alk3 until I heard they had signed a deal with Epitaph Records (and got glimpse of the new record via a YouTube live recording of the new album's explosive first single, "This Addiction"). Had Alkaline Trio done the unthinkable - bounced back from an epically awful record and saved their career?

Sadly, no.

This Addiction is a better album than Agony and Irony, but not much. I count exactly three decent songs on This Addiction ("This Addiction," "Lead Poisoning," and "The American Scream"), as opposed to one on A&I. This Addiction also holds the distinct honor of featuring the single worst Alk3 song in history - a shitty little number entitled "Dine, Dine My Darling."

*Side note - I did run across this little gem, which appears to be a b-side or a This Addiction bonus track - Alkaline Trio's brilliant cover of NoMeansNo's "Two Lips, Two Lungs, and One Tongue."

Now, normally I'd write off any band I like that releases two shit albums in a row, but Alkaline Trio still put on a fucking phenomenal live show. Officer Lewis and I saw them on the A&I tour, and they were great (and thankfully, only played two A&I songs). And they still play stuff from ALL of their albums, unlike most bands these days.

So, there's my predicament. I still love Alkaline Trio, but I wanna talk shit about them for releasing two fucking TERRIBLE albums in a row. Maybe they should just go the whole Elton John/Rolling Stones route and not release any new music, and just tour on the classics for the rest of their careers. Because seriously, no one wants to hear the new shit.

Alien Ant Fart

2010-02-12T13:21:00.001-08:00

Douches.

Today, I jokingly sent my friend a link to the entire Alien Ant Farm discography. The words "entire" and "discography" are used very loosely here seeing as the band has only 3 proper albums. Anyways, upon perusing this discography list, I was shocked to see that not only do Alien Ant Farm have a Greatest Hits record, but they ALSO have a "20th Century Masters: Best Of" record. I shit you not. How the fuck does this "band" justify having 2 "best of" compilations when they only have 3 albums and only have been around for like 10 years? I don't fucking get it.

Also, who the fuck ever really listened to this band anyways?

Leatherface "The Stormy Petrel"

2010-02-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a great promo video for The Stormy Petrel - the upcoming new album from Sunderland, England's Leatherface. I've heard the record already and it's fucking fantastic. My favorite Leatherface record since Mush.

I think it's funny that in the video they use quotes from both Gizz Lazlo and Sal Cochino. I know both of those guys...

I have a good Frankie Stubbs story to share regarding this album, but I think I'll wait until after the record comes out to share it.

Ugh

2010-01-31T19:31:00.001-08:00

Seriously? You are such a fucking idiot.

Guilt, Regret, Embarrassment

2010-01-29T21:08:00.000-08:00

So, I started a new blog. And, not surprisingly, it's about music. You might be wondering why I'm starting a new blog when the one I already have is so fucking awesome. Well, the new blog is going to focus more on cool music related pictures, as well as great songs and music videos. There will be very little text (and, by proxy, shit talking) involved. Never fear, I Hate All Your Favorite Bands isn't going anywhere. I still planning on making fun of Ke$ha and Owl City and all the other shit bands you listen to on a regular basis.

If you see a cool pic or video or something that you think I might want to post on Guilt, Regret, Embarrasment, feel free to email it to me at neilsdown@gmail.com. I'm always looking for fun stuff to post.

In the meantime, you should probably rush out and buy the new Motion City Soundtrack CD or some shit.

Rekkids.

2010-01-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

White Goodman's record collection circa 1999-2000.
(click to enlarge)

My Top Artists for the Week of 1/22/10 - Provided by Last.fm

2010-01-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

1. Butthole Surfers

2. Post Harbor

3. The Halo Benders

4. Dessa

5. Shiner

6. Minus The Bear

7. Burnman

8. Lost Sounds

9. Alkaline Trio

10. The Unwinding Hours

R.I.P. Jay Reatard

2010-01-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

R.I.P. Jay Reatard.

No! Go! Tell!

2010-01-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

It's official, the Dead Milkmen have announced that they're currently writing new material for their first new record in 15 years!!!! I, for one, am unbelievably excited about this. Unfortunately, there's no set release date for said album, though the band hopes to have it out sometime this year. Head over to the band's website to see what they have to say about it.

While you wait for that new record, why don't you download the debut EP from Joe Jack Talcum's new band No! Go! Tell! Apparently Joe joined this band back in February, and they've done a few shows around Philly. Not sure if Joe is a primary songwriter here, but his trademarked guitar sound is all over this. These guys have the same lively spirit as the Dead Milkmen, but the music is a little folkier and surfier than the Milkmen ever were. Definitely a lot of fun. And definitely worth checking out. Hit up their MySpace page to give it a listen. Otherwise, you can head over to the No! Go! Tell! website and download the tracks individually or you can download the whole EP all at once by clicking here.

Rock.

The Life and Times

2010-01-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

I'm guessing that most of the people that read this blog know about the band Shiner. If not, you're missing out. But whatever. When Shiner called it a day in 2002, frontman Allen Epley formed The Life and Times. For some unknown reason, I only just found out about this band. I'm a little embarrassed about this seeing as I was such a huge Shiner fan.

Anywho, The Life and Times are a looser, shoegaze-ier version of Shiner, and that's fucking fantastic. They have 2 full lengths ("Suburban Hymns" and "Tragic Boogie") and an EP ("The Flat End of the Earth"), and all are brilliant. The vid above is the first track off of "Suburban Hymns" - it should give you a pretty good idea what TLAT sound like. If you wanna learn more about this record (and if you speak Spanish), you should click this link. If you wanna know a little more about "The Flat End of the Earth" EP, go here.

**It's been brought to my attention that TLAT also have another EP ("The Magician") and a split (with Nueva Vulcano). Thanks for the heads up.

The point of all of this is to make people aware of The Life and Times. Get on board if you haven't already, because they're infinitely better than whatever terrible shit you're currently listening to.

Oh, and in case you forgot what Shiner sounded like, here you go.

My Top Artists for the Week of 1/8/10 - Provided by Last.fm

2010-01-08T16:44:00.000-08:00

1. The Life and Times
2. Failure
3. ALL
4. The Twilight Sad
5. Hum
6. The Dukes of Hillsborough
7. Vivian Girls
8. Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves
9. The Tim Version
10. Portishead

Teen Farts

2010-01-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

This is a joke, right? PLEASE tell me this is a joke. I mean, it's not funny, but at least if I knew they weren't serious about this "music" it might be a little easier to handle.

Also, hipsters that dress like this are bad enough as it is. When they act all cute and silly, and play TERRIBLE FUCKING MUSIC, it just makes me want to kill myself.

Please stop. For the love of god.

Superdontcare

2010-01-06T10:25:00.001-08:00

Douchebags.

Soundgarden are reuniting. Ugh. Maybe Timbaland will produce their new album.

The Best Albums of 2009: Criterion Edition

2009-12-19T16:16:00.001-08:00

Well, gang, the end of the year is officially within sight. You know what that means - it's time for my Best Albums of 2009 list. In case you need a refresher, here's my Best of 2008 list.
Anyways, as usual, there are a few things I need to disclose before I get into it. First off, I can't limit myself to just a top ten because I acquire far too many records over the course of the year. In fact, this year I probably obtained 2-3 times the number of albums I obtained in 2008. Also, I have a really tough time giving my favorite albums a specific ranking. With the exception of the 3 or 4 records that easily sit atop my list, everything will be listed in alphabetical order. And finally, all of the records you'll see on my list are readily available to download illegally if you're even the slightest bit internet savvy. But for the most part, the bands you'll see here could use your money, so I urge you to actually go out to an INDEPENDENT record store and purchase these. If that's a foreign concept to you, I'm positive all of these are available to download via iTunes or Amazon.

So, without further ado, here are White Goodman's Top Albums of 2009...

1. Drummer - Feel Good Together (Audio Eagle Records)
Five drummers from numerous different bands join forces to record the most exciting (and most unnoticed) guitar driven, indie-pop record of 2009.

2. The Horrors - Primary Colors (Beggars UK)
Formerly Jon Spencer disciples, these Brits apparently discovered Can and Joy Division before recording their stellar sophomore album, Primary Colors, with Portishead's Geoff Barrow. This is a good thing.

3. The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead (Fat Cat Records)
This Scottish quartet take shoegaze to a dark new level. And the result is fascinating. And emotionally overwhelming.

4. Built to Spill - There is No Enemy (Reprise Records)
Doug Martsch is one of my top 3 favorite songwriters of all time. There is No Enemy finds his current band, Built to Spill, back at the top of the indie-game after the disappointing Ancient Melodies of the Future and the over-jammy You in Reverse. Infinite bonus points for bringing Treepeople guitarist Scott Schmaljohn back on board for "Pat" - a touchingly rocking tribute to late Treepeople bassist Pat Brown.

The Rest of the Best:
Averkiou - Throwing Sparks (Clairecords)
Crippled Black Phoenix - 200 Tons of Bad Luck (Invada Records)
Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen (Saddle Creek)
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm (JagJaguar)
Drag the River - Bad at Breaking Up (Suburban Home)
The Dukes of Hillsborough - Generation Tinnitus (A.D.D. Records)
Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another (4AD)
Heat-Ray - Loveallover (Pop-Echo)
Japandroids - Post Nothing (Polyvinyl)
Julian Plenti - ...As Skyscraper (Merge)
Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today... (Columbia)
Bob Mould - Life and Times (Anti)
P.O.S. - Never Better (Rhymesayers)
Polvo - In Prism (Merge)
Silversun Pickups - Swoon (Dangerbird Records)
The Sleepover Disaster - Hover (Devil in the Woods)
Starflyer 59 - Ghosts of the Past (Tooth and Nail)
Systems Officer - Underslept (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
Sweet Cobra - Bottom Feeder EP (Seventh Rule)
Tegan and Sara - Sainthood (Vapor/Sire Records)
The Tim Version - Prohibition Starts Tomorrow (A.D.D. Records)

Honorable Mention:
These records weren't released in 2009, but they're incredible. And I'll be damned if any of you have them already (click the links to download).
Fast Gato - Feral
This gem, which features Greg Ginn of Black Flag and Scott Reynolds of ALL/Goodbye Harry/Pavers was supposed to be released on SST records at some point. We're still waiting. Luckily, someone somewhere got a copy, and I finally tracked it down.
The Town Managers - Grade His Tits
One of Joe Jack Talcum's many post-Dead Milkmen ventures, this record contains all of the band's 7"s and sampler tracks. This is the first time that their entire catalog of music has been compiled in one place.

Best Concerts of 2009 (in no particular order):
ALL (featuring Scott Reynolds) with Big Drill Car and My Name - July 14 at House of Blues
Future of the Left, Japandroids, and Dead Ponies - July 31 at Spaceland
The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks - September 20 at Knitting Factory
Mew - December 14 at The Music Box at Henry Fonda

So, there you have it. The best of the best of 2009. I may have missed a record or two, but that was inevitable. If you're one of the Rolling Stone dipshits that thinks U2 and Lady Gaga had the best records of the year, you can fuck off because you're a complete and total retard. You have no business listening to music in the first place.

Happy holidays. Here's to more amazing music in 2010.

Gimme Dat

2009-12-10T14:24:00.001-08:00

Those of you that regularly read my blog have probably worked out by now that I'm not a big fan of hip-hop. I can't really argue that. But I will say this, the hip-hop that I do listen to, I'm very passionate about. Artists like P.O.S. (and the whole Doomtree crew), Atmosphere, Grand Buffet still get regular rotation 'round my home and car, while older guys like the Beasties and House of Pain (their second album only) are still fun to throw on from time to time. Probably my favorite hip-hop guy (I hate the word "rapper") is Sage Francis. He doesn't sing about gangs and bitches and bling and all that other retarded shit that most rappers are pre-occupied with. And he's always had this kinda punk rock attitude and approach to hip-hop, and to me, there's no one out there who does it better.

Sage, being the festive motherfucker that he is, has recorded a twisted little Christmas song called "Gimme Dat," and it's destined to go down as a Sage Francis classic. Not only is the Buck 65-produced track catchy as hell, the lyrics are a hilarious attack on the greedy nature of the holiday season. And, as an added bonus, the chorus of "Gimme Dat" is lifted straight outta "Everybody's Got Nice Stuff But Me" by the Dead Milkmen. Yes, you heard me right, Sage quotes THE DEAD MILKMEN - my favorite band in the world - in his new song. Looks like Christmas came early for this motherfucker right here.

Anyways, Sage has made "Gimme Dat" available as a free download. Click on this bitch to get it for yourself.

Merry fucking Christmas, from your good pal White Goodman.

The Duke Boys

2009-12-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite bands of the past few years - The Dukes of Hillsborough - have released a new record. It's called "Generation Tinnitus" and it fucking rules. If you dig Leatherface or Hot Water Music or most No Idea Records bands, you'll dig this shit. Take a listen. And if you dig it, go over to A.D.D. Records and buy a copy. Only $8 for the CD or LP.

Taste

2009-12-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

As shallow as it may seem, a girls' taste in music is important if I'm going to date her. Luckily I've never had this problem...

Click to enlarge and read. This is amazing. That's all I can say.

Stolen from http://www.burbia.com/in-relationships-honesty-is-best-policy-or-not

Whippersnappers

2009-12-03T13:18:00.001-08:00

Stolen from http://rockmaniac.tumblr.com/

Best Albums of 2009?

2009-11-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

So, being the gigantic music nerd that I am, I've already started compiling my top albums of 2009 list. As you probably know, I never limit my list to the top 10 or 20 or whatever because I acquire far too many albums each year to be able to narrow that shit down. At the risk of giving too much away, I figured I'd toss out some of the albums that are contenders for this year's list. I'd love to hear what other people are planning on including on their lists. Feel free to comment below. So, here's a smattering of the bands may or may not make my list (in alphabetical order, because I'm a fucking geek):

Averkiou, Lou Barlow, Built to Spill, Crippled Black Phoenix, Cursive, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, Dethklok, Dinosaur Jr., Doomriders, Drag the River, Drummer, Future of the Left, Heat-Ray, Heroes of Switzerland, The Horrors, Japandroids, Julian Plenti, Mew, Bob Mould, No Friends, P.O.S., Polvo, Silversun Pickups, Sleepover Disaster, Starflyer 59, Sweet Cobra, Systems Officer, Tegan & Sara, The Twilight Sad.

Have I forgotten anyone? Do you agree or disagree with the nominees so far? Thoughts?

In Praise of Sha Na Na

2009-11-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

I'd like to apologize to anyone who clicked on this blog post hoping to read something about Sha Na Na.

Most everyone who knows me (and, likewise, most people who read this blog) know that The Dead Milkmen are my favorite band of all time. They have been since I first heard them back in 1988, at the ripe old age of 12. For the sake of keeping this post relatively short, I'll spare you the history of the band, but if you want to know more, just check out their incredibly thorough and detailed website. What you may not know is that the members of the Dead Milkmen are/were also in a plethora of other bands that existed before, during, and after the Milkmen broke up in 1995 - Touch Me Zoo and The Town Managers being my two favorites (and both featuring Joe Jack Talcum). Touch Me Zoo, a more folksy and psychedelic version of the Milkmen, recorded five albums that were only released on cassette in the late 90's. The Town Managers, who were more straightforward punk rock than the Milkmen were, only released a couple of 7"s during their brief existence. Anyways, most of this stuff is pretty hard to track down these days, but luckily Joe has made some of it available for free through his website. Sadly though, it all must be downloaded one mp3 at a time, which, as I can attest, is very time consuming. But fear not loyal reader, I'm here to help. Below you will find download links to Touch Me Zoo's epic 30-song album, Wonderwear Music, as well as The Town Managers' entire 12 song discography. Admittedly, Wonderwear Music isn't my favorite TMZ album, but it's the only one Joe has made available to download at this time. If I can get my hands on mp3s of Lawn King or Blow Up Your Stereo, I'll post those at a later date. This stuff is a must-have for any Dead Milkmen fan.

Speaking of Dead Milkmen, the band is officially back together, and are currently writing new material. I'm pretty fucking stoked about this.

Some other Dead Milkmen related side projects are The Low Budgets, Butterfly Joe, Burn Witch Burn, Ornamental Wigwam, The Cheesies, and Big Mess Orchestra. I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but whatever. You get the idea.

Anyways, here are your fucking downloads. Rock it.

Touch Me Zoo - Wonderwear Music

Town Managers - Grade His Tits

My Top Artists for the Week of 11/20/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-11-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

1. 764-HERO
2. Joe Jack Talcum
3. Doomriders
4. The Jesus Lizard
5. Gil Mantera's Party Dream
6. NoFX
7. Sweet Cobra
8. Blacktusk
9. Julian Plenti
10. Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School of Medicine

My Favorite Horror Movie Soundtracks

2009-10-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

Partially inspired by the fact that today is Halloween, and partially inspired by my buddy Jewbles' recent blog post on his favorite horror movies, I've decided to post my list of my favorite horror soundtracks. There will be some obvious omissions - there's no denying that the music from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is terrifying - but I never listen to it, and this list is comprised of soundtracks that I actually listen to pretty regularly.

1. The Return of the Living Dead. (1985) Some might argue that this is an obvious (and biased) choice since The Return of the Living Dead is my favorite film of all time, but whatever. This soundtrack is the ultimate example of how music can perfectly complement a film. Not surprisingly, this film - an 80's zombie flick with a cast of punk rockers - has a soundtrack packed with 80's gothy punk - from The Cramps and The Damned to 45 Grave and Roky Erickson. This soundtrack was my first exposure to punk music, and was the main influence on the direction in which my then-still-developing musical tastes would take. Sadly, the legitimate verson of this soundtrack (which is still available on Restless Records) doesn't contain Frances Haines' creepy and familiar main theme music (commonly referred to as the Trioxin Theme). Luckily though, several bootleg deluxe editions of this soundtrack have popped up online which feature the Trioxin Theme (as well as film dialogue). Also, for total music nerds (like me), there are a couple different picture LPs of this soundtrack, one of which contains dialogue from the film. Personally, I have 9 versions of this soundtrack - 2 different deluxe/bootleg digital versions, 2 on CD (the legit verson and a third bootleg/deluxe edition), 1 on cassette (that I've had since the 80's), and 4 on vinyl (2 different picture discs, a UK import, and the regular LP release - which is personally autographed to me by Dinah Cancer of 45 Grave).

2. Hardware. (1990) I suppose this is technically a Sci-Fi soundtrack, but Hardware is one of the scariest sci-fi flicks ever, so I'll make an exception. This album is a perfect companion to Richard Stanley's brilliant (and rarely seen) gloomy post-apocalyptic nightmare. The soundtrack blends the 2 central songs used in the film (Public Image Ltd.'s haunting "The Order of Death" and Ministry's anthem, "Stigmata") with random bits of dialogue, and weaves it all together with a depressingly creepy score by Simon Boswell (who would later be responsible for stellar soundtracks for films like Lord of Illusions, Hackers, and Shallow Grave). Listen carefully to the uncomfortably funny snippets of dialogue from radio DJ Angry Bob (played to perfection by Iggy Pop) and the cab driver (Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmeister), as well as Boswell's fake radio spot for "Reno's Reindeer Steaks." Hardware was just recently released on DVD for the first time since it's theatrical release in 1990. I'd imagine the soundtrack might be tough to track down. If you're interested in it, let me know and I'll get you a copy.

3. Trick or Treat. (1986) Not to be confused with the recent horror film Trick 'r' Treat, Trick or Treat tells the fictional tale of metal rocker Sammi Curr who dies in a tragic hotel fire. His biggest fan is Eddie, a nerdy high schooler (played by Skippy from Family Ties) who begins to communicate with the deceased Curr and is manipulated into getting revenge on his tormentors. Curr eventually re-emerges as an evil spirit, and wreaks havoc on Eddie's small town. The movie is pure 80's cheese, but still so much fun. With appearances by Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons, it should come as no surprise that the soundtrack is all 80's hair metal. Luckily though, it's not an 80's greatest butt-rock hits package like a lot of 80's (and current) horror soundtracks are. All the music here is performed by little known 80's metal band, Fastway. And while it certainly doesn't hold up over time, the music is still fun and catchy, and I still know the words to every fucking song. As a kid, this was my favorite soundtrack for the longest time (yes, I even liked it more than The Return of the Living Dead soundtrack). This is a 100% guilty pleasure. Fun fact, Fastway lead singer Dave King is now frontman for Irish punkers Flogging Molly.

4. The Crow. (1994) Everyone loved The Crow when it came out, and everyone owned the soundtrack. With songs from The Cure, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Helmet, and Rollins Band, it's not hard to see why this was the biggest selling soundtrack of 1994. Most all of these songs still hold up fifteen long years later. If you don't have this soundtrack there is something wrong with you.

5. Halloween (1985) and Friday the 13th (1980). Two films that would forever change horror, and two of the most iconic horror themes in all of movie history. 'Nuff said.
I don't know whether to deduct cool points or add them for the absurd disco themed version of Harry Manfredini's F13 score which was created for Friday the 13th part 3 (which is awesomely titled "Hot Ice").

Seriously People

2009-10-27T14:28:00.001-07:00

Hi, I'm a fucking idiot.

I've said it before and I'll, say it again. Lady Gaga is fucking terrible. Just awful. If you like Lady Gaga why don't you go ahead and stab yourself in the eyeballs because you're a fucking retard.

I wear these stupid fucking outfits to cover up the fact that I have no talent.

I Hate All your Favorite Movies

2009-10-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is the first film Jewbles and I collaborated on. It's awesome.

My good buddy Jewbles just started a new blog called I Hate All your Favorite Movies. It's kinda like this blog except that he talks (and talks shit) about movies instead of music. Duh. Anyways, you should check it out. His first post will be online this evening. Click the link below.

And since we're on the subject of movies here, let me just tell you that Paranormal Activity sucked. I'm really bummed about that.

We're not talkin' Jaws here Spielberg.

3Ugh!3

2009-10-19T18:01:00.001-07:00

Dear 3Oh!3,

White frat boys from Denver have no business "rapping." For that matter, hipster dickholes have no business whatsoever making "music." You and LMFAO are not funny. You're not talented. You're not at all amusing. GO AWAY NOW.

Thanks,

White

My Top Artists for the Week of 10/9/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-10-09T19:34:00.001-07:00

1. Built to Spill
2. Treepeople
3. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead
4. Polvo
5. 764-HERO
6. Gunmoll
7. Fuel
8. Drummer
9. Converge
10. Unwound

I'd like to point out that the band Fuel listed at number 7 is NOT the shitty alt-rock band from a few years back.

No Mouth Pipetting

2009-10-08T15:40:00.001-07:00

Update 10/4/10 - Download link has been reupped.

Update: 11/25/09 - Download link has been reupped.

Holy fucking shit. I'm just finding out today that one of my all time favorite bands - Treepeople - have an early cassette only album that I've NEVER FUCKING HEARD OF. How did this get by me? I consider myself to be pretty knowledgable about all things Doug Martsch, but somehow I missed out on this. So, here's the deal. This release is called "No Mouth Pipetting" and was supposedly released as a demo cassette back in 1988. Listening to it though, it sounds nothing like what you'd expect a demo to sound like. The recordings are great, and the transfer is so crisp. Blah, Blah, Blah. Anyways, here's the tracklisting. As you'll notice, a few of these songs were later rerecorded for future Treepeople releases.

Treepeople

No Mouth Pipetting
Demo Casette 1988

1. Pack of Lies
2. Prostitute
3. Thought About Tryin'
4. Size of a Quarter
5. Bus 8
6. Bed 'o Nails
7. Lovely and Electric
8. Fish Basket
9. Smokin' and Drinkin'
10. Cat Scratch Stevens
11. All Used Up
12. PP&TC
13. Passwords Fail
14. Treepeople

I suggest all Treepeople/Built to Spill fans download this record and check it out. It really is awesome. Click the link below and it's all yours, pal...

Treepeople - No Mouth Pipetting

If You Don't Got Mojo Nixon Then Your Store Could Use Some Fixin'

2009-10-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Starting today (October 7, 2009) and running for about 3 weeks, rockabilly cult icon, Mojo Nixon will be giving away his entire digital music catalog for free. Did you hear me correctly, HIS ENTIRE CATALOG FOR FREE!!!! That's roughly 13 albums and close to 150 songs. Fucking insane. Now, regardless of what you think of Mojo's music (I'm more of a casual fan, myself), this is a pretty ballsy move. But cool as fuck. Click the link below and go on a free download spree.

Elvis is Everywhere.

My Top Artists for the Week of 9/18/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-09-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

1. Lou Barlow
2. The Twilight Sad
3. Duncan Redmonds
4. Starflyer 59
5. Frank Turner
6. Cut City
7. Dethklok
8. Maserati
9. Do Make Say Think
10. Mission of Burma

Live At The Starlight

2009-09-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

"Live at the Starlight" is a fantastic live album by Colorado's premiere alt-country supergroup, Drag the River. I'll spare you the details about Drag because, quite frankly, if you read this blog, you probably already know all about them. Anyways, this album has been technically out of print for a while now (though used copies probably aren't that tough to track down if you search hard enough). That being said, DTR frontman Jon Snodgrass was shocked to see a used "Live at the Starlight" CD going for upwards of $80 on eBay. In response to this, he asked Suburban Home Records to just give the record away to those folks who want it. And they did just that. Hit up this link to download the entire album (or just individual tracks, if you'd prefer): http://www.suburbanhomerecords.com/starlight/

I Want A (free) Suburban Home (album download)

2009-09-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

My buddy Virgil Dickerson has been running Suburban Home Records for 14 years now. In my opinion, they're one of the best indie labels out there. They consistently release albums from good bands, they've never pandered to the latest bullshit musical trends, and Virgil has never pretended to be anything other than what he really is - a true music fan. I've been fortunate enough to work with Virgil and a ton of his bands over the years, both when booking in Las Vegas and when booking in Colorado. Everyone says that the music biz is dying, and I'm inclined to agree. But seeing Virgil and Suburban Home as they prepare to celebrate their 14th anniversary gives me a little bit of hope.
To celebrate their 14 years, the fine folks at Suburban Home are giving away 1 free album download to anyone and everyone who wants one. Read on to get the details (*I HIGHLY recommend the Drag the River albums, the Love Me Destroyer albums, or the Scott Reynolds & the Steaming Beast record):

SUBURBAN HOME TURNS 14…WANTS TO GIVE IT TO YOU

And by “IT”, we mean a FREE ALBUM. With Suburban Home’s 14th Anniversary, we have made the decision that we would like to give everyone in the world one free album. We are a bit biased, but we think that Suburban Home is one of greatest record labels in the world while also being one of the smallest, least known record labels around. We hope that our offer to give you a free album will entice you to pick a release from one of our artists and hope that it will encourage you to tell others to grab an album, too. Take advantage of this offer to listen to just how amazing the Austin Lucas album is, to fill in a gap in your Drag the River or Tim Barry collections, to pick up Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground’s self-titled album, to dig deeper into our back-catalog, or pick an album you have only heard about.
There are just a few, easy steps:
Visit this url: http://www.suburbanhomerecords.com/freealbum/Fill in your email address (the download code will be emailed to your email so make sure it is valid)Answer if you would like to join our email list and then select the album you want us to send to you.We know that if you really wanted to, you could do this more than once, but we please ask that you only pick one album for Free Download.That is all you have to do. We will email codes every day that you can reimburse for one, free album download (of 320 Kbps mp3s). This isn’t automated so know that it might be as long as a day before you get your free download. And know that this offer expires when September is over.
I know that there are a lot of great labels and way too many amazing releases to keep up with. We hope that this offer gets you to listen to a release that you might otherwise never listen to. Please tell your friends about this, post it on your Facebook, Retweet the post, post it on your blog, and/or do something absolutely unthinkable and tell a friend over the phone or in person. 14 years is a very long time (at least to me) to still exist in this crazy industry. If you have ever purchased one of our releases, saw one of our bands on tour, and/or told someone to check out what we do, THANK YOU! And if this FREE ALBUM helps you to discover what we are about, WELCOME!

New Flier, Same Douchebaggery

2009-09-10T12:36:00.001-07:00

Every Monday night at Beauty Bar in Hollywood.

Well, 4 months later and we're still going strong (or limping along, depending on how you look at it). Anywho, every Monday night, Scott, Dre, and I spin all your favorite indie, post-punk, and rock and roll that you can drink or dance to. There's no cover, and drinks are actually pretty cheap. And the bartenders are AWESOME. Some come join us on Monday. Any Monday. You'll be glad you did.

There Is No Enemy

2009-08-24T11:35:00.001-07:00

So, Built to Spill have recently released info for their upcoming album, There Is No Enemy. Just the fact that there will be a new BTS album is cool enough, but the following tidbit from stereogum.com makes it that much more exciting:

As far as those other players go, in addition to Martsch & his usual Co., There Is No Enemy includes guest spots from Sam Coomes, ex-Treepeople co-guitarist/vocalist Scott Schmaljohn, Butthole Surfer Paul Leary, Roger Manning, etc.

Holy hell. Someone needs to leak this album pronto. Relax, I'll buy it when it comes out too, I just don't think I can wait until October 6th to hear this. They played one new song last night at Sunset Junction, and not surprisingly, it ruled.

My Top Artists for the Week of 7/31/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-07-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

1. Starflyer 59
2. Heat-Ray
3. Coconut Records
4. Cursive
5. Dinosaur Jr.
6. Blonde Redhead
7. Crooked Fingers
8. Blitzen Trapper
9. China Drum
10. Bathyscaphe

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Yes, I know Starflyer 59 is a Christian band. And yes, that does bother me a little. But goddamn they make some great fucking music.

Friends (I'll Be There for You)

2009-07-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Roxylocks photographed on my back porch, 1998. Clockwise from top left: Matt Torrey, Rockin' Bob Cenci, Jen Nalley, Joshy Hill.

From 1995-2006, I lived in Las Vegas. If you're a regular reader of this blog (or actually know me in real life), you already knew that. What you also probably know is that I worked at various record stores for a majority of those years, and that I was also a DJ and Music Director at KUNV - UNLV's now defunct college radio station. Because of both of these gigs, I was fortunate to have met some great people who played in great bands. Roxylocks was one those bands. Having just relocated to Vegas from San Francisco, Roxylocks' Joshy Hill and Jen Nalley recruited local guitar wiz Matt Torrey (and later, former Jerry's Kids' guitar player Rockin' Bob Cenci) to round out their quirky indie-pop group. After meeting Josh and Jen in my record store in '96 or '97, I pretty much became their biggest fan and proponent - constantly playing their music on the radio and in my store. Sadly, their dreams of success were not fulfilled in Vegas, and in 1998 Roxylocks played their final show (in my living room), and Josh and Jen moved to Austin, Texas. After their departure, ex-Roxylocks guitarist Matt Torrey and I became fast friends, and I would eventually release the debut record from his band, Amber Halo, on my record label. Joshy and I lost touch for several years, but have recently reconnected via a wonderful new website called Facebook. If you haven't heard of this thing yet, you should check it out. It's pretty neat.
Anyways, both Matt (who is still in Vegas) and Joshy (who now resides in Portland, Oregon) have new bands. Matt's being Danger Mic, and Joshy's being Exit Collapse. Both bands have new records (Actually, Exit Collapse's is an EP, but whatever). And both bands have been kind enough to give away their albums as free downloads. I'll post links below to listen to and or download the music. The cool part is this - if you download the music from this particular website, not only will the website pay the band, but they'll also make a donation to the band's non-profit organization of choice (Exit Collapse chose the ASPCA, and Danger Mic chose the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation).

I hate trying to describe band's music, so I'm just gonna swipe their bios from their MySpace pages.

Exit Collapse

born from the carcass' of many dead music endeavors and a fortunate conglomeration of assorted ruffians and miscreants from differing regions and derivation, exit collapse hatched itself from a dirty petri dish in the fall of 2006... and thus began its torpent legacy.

OK, that bio is kinda vague, so I'll just add this: Exit Collapse play punky, instrumental post-rock. Listening to these guys, I hear traces of Crippled Black Phoenix and Trans Am. Maybe even a little bit of some of Mogwai's heavier tunes.

Download Exit Collapse's debut EP for FREE here: http://www.gimmesound.com/ExitCollapse/

You have to sign up at the Gimme Sound website to download music, but all that consists of is registering your email.

Danger Mic

Danger Mic: the sound of late nights, do-it-yourself production, and urban decay. This band was born in a garage in the sweltering heat of the desert where the sweat drips from the bricks just as salty and flat as the leftover PBRs from the night before. The harmonies light up the eyes of the so called casual observers while the rock smashes the faces of those who pass by. Matt, Matt, and Fish are this 3 piece, unto themselves, born and raised in the depths of what most think of as salvation. They’ve shaken off the dust from previous past Amber Halo and are headed to take hostage the souls of the fucked up and desperate while stealing their insulin and booze. Pinback vs. Criteria, Analog vs. Digital, Crown vs. Jameson, Drums vs. Guitar vs. Bass. It’s round one fuckers... the mic will be flying so watch your teeth!

Recommended if you like: Criteria, Sunny Day Real Estate, Pixies, Amber Halo.

Download Danger Mic's debut album for FREE here: http://www.gimmesound.com/DangerMic/

As with Exit Collapse, you'll need to register your email in order to download, but that's a small price to pay for legit free music, you know?

So, go do it. Download free music. Help out the bands and their favorite non-profits. And if you like what you hear, forward these links to your friends.

Denny's Allnighter

2009-07-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here we see the members of Good Charlotte in the kitchen at Denny's - prepping for their future careers.

What the fuck? Have you seen this shit? Apparently Denny's has decided to get jiggy with it by hip-ifying their image. Now, you might be asking yourself, "how could a stale old geezer magnet like Denny's possibly reinvent themselves? Furthermore, what would it take for legions of prepubescent hipster dickbags to consider Denny's cool?"

The answer, my friends, is simple. Rock and Roll.

Much like the way Rob Gordon aligned every aspect of his gloomy life with rock music in the book High Fidelity, Denny's has aligned their gloomy menu with some of the "coolest," "hippest," and "hottest" bands in the country. One can suppose that this was done in hopes of luring packs of youngsters (and their wallets) into their eateries.
But the corporate fatcats at Denny's - who obviously have their fingers firmly planted on the pulse of cool, popular music - haven't just chosen any old bands to rescue their ailing business from dusty-old-fart-dom. Oh no. They've hand-picked Canadian rockers, Sum 41 and Christian punks, Good Charlotte - bands who reached their commercial and popularity peaks in 2001 and 2002, respectively. But that's not all - they went and got all urban on our asses by signing up Gym Class Heroes - a hip-hop/emo band famous for having a possibly black lead singer that dates Katy Perry. Well done. And finally, in what would probably be considered the only wise move they've made during this whole preposterous promotion, they've brought Rascal Flatts on board. And while Rascal Flatts are one of the biggest selling bands in the country right now, they're about as "cool" as a dutch oven.

So, with all this talent involved, what does this promotion entail? Good question. I had kinda assumed that it involved the members of said bands designing some sort of signature dish for the Denny's menu (though I'm not sure how interested I am in trying the Sum 41 baco-dog or the Good Charlotte chicken fried baloney sandwich). When I went to the Denny's website to get some sort of verification, however, I was so barraged with pictures of dining hipsters, links to websites belonging to terrible bands, and seemingly endless promotion for the long-irrelevant Warped Tour that I couldn't remember what I went there for in the first place.

I will say this though: I used to have a soft spot in my heart for Denny's. I spent many an evening there with my friends in high school. And while I was on tour with DLP in 1998-1999, we frequented their fine establishments. And at 2am, nothing soaks up the alcohol in your stomach like a big ol' stack of Denny's french toast. And while I haven't visited a Denny's in years (and can't even recall ever having seen one in L.A.), this new promotion will assure that I will never set foot in one again. Last thing I need to see when I'm drunk and hungry at 2am (or 7am, for that matter) are a bunch of out of touch dickholes who still jam out to Bowling for Soup.

My Top Artists for the Week of 7/10/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-07-10T17:49:00.001-07:00

1. Black Camaro
2. Mew
3. Descendents
4. REO Speedealer
5. The National
6. Exit Collapse
7. Jay Reatard
8. Deftones
9. Supergrass
10. Murs and Slug

"Beautiful" Music

2009-07-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

If Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams have children, and those children decide to make music, the music they make is going to be fucking terrible. Just sayin...

P.S. Ryan, you look like a douche.

They Say It's Your Birthday...

2009-07-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what this picture has to do with birthdays, but I did a Google image search for "birthday music geek" and this is what I got.

So, tomorrow is my birthday. Whatever. Normally, I'd be the last person in the world to volunteer this info. Birthdays are kinda silly, especially when you get to be as old as me (I'll be 34 in two short hours). I don't like a lot of fuss made, and I generally feel awkward when receiving gifts and cards and stuff. The one amazing thing about my birthday, though, is that I share it with my best friend in the entire world - the lovely Mrs. Andrea Lewis. For several consecutive years we spent our birthdays together, and I'm happy to say that after a brief hiatus, we'll be spending our birthdays together again this year (at Disneyland, no less). And we'll be joined by my other best friend in the entire world (who just happens to be her husband) and their son.
Anywho, so I figured I'd put together a birthday gift wish list (all music or movie related, of course) for anyone who cares to read it. Now, I don't expect anyone to actually get me any of this (mainly because most of it is out of print or rare or hard to find or ridiculously expensive), but I thought I'd throw it out there in case any of my loyal readers happen to run across any of this stuff.
Here's the list, y'all:

Gunmoll - Anger Management in Four Chords or Less - CD or LP
Treepeople - Actual Re-Enactment - LP
Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle - LP
Pavers / No Show - Split EP - CD or LP
Goodbye Harry - Food Stamp BBQ and I Can Smoke - LP
Catherine Wheel - Chrome - LP
The Sainte Catherines - any CDs or LPs aside from Dancing for Decadence and Soda Machine
Genesis - Box Set 3: 1970-1975 - CD
Sugar - Copper Blue or Beaster or Besides - LP
Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites - LP
Jawbox - Jawbox - LP
Shiner - The Egg - LP
Faith No More - Angel Dust - LP
The Hellacopters - Head Off - CD
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love - DVD
Midnight Madness - DVD
Hardware - DVD
Puppy Bowl - DVD

OK, so not all of this stuff is out of print or rare or whatever. Some of it I've just never been able to track down. Or have been too lazy to try to track down. Whatever. If anyone reading this ever finds any of this stuff, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know so I can buy it. Of course, if you want to buy it for me, that'd be ok too.

The End. Have a lovely 4th of July.

My Top Artists for the Week of 6/19/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-06-19T16:34:00.001-07:00

1. Tanner
2. Faith No More
3. Samiam
4. Sage Francis
5. Idlewild
6. 764-HERO
7. Chixdiggit!
8. They Might Be Giants
9. The Sainte Catherines
10. The Mae Shi

I also realize that I've been lagging on "real posts" lately. Sorry. I'll do my best to rectify that soon.

My Top Artists for the Week of 6/12/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-06-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

1. Dinosaur Jr.

2. Atmosphere

3. Blonde Redhead

4. Alkaline Trio

5. The Mae Shi

6. The Replacements
7. Jawbox
8. Supermachiner
9. Phoenix
10. The Mountain Goats

Black Eyed Pea-ness

2009-06-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

The link in the above picture will not work. Besides, if you truly want to "get your own spot in BEP world" you deserve to be shot.

Dear Black Eyed Peas,

The only thing I hate worse than your fashion choices are your names. Seriously. will.i.am? Taboo? apl.de.ap? I can't even figure out what the fuck that last one is supposed to mean.

Actually, I lied. I hate your "music" more than I hate your names AND your fashion choices. Your new record just came out and already I've had enough. Please stop.

Your friend,

White

My Top Artists for the Week of 6/5/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-06-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

1. Jawbox
2. The Replacements
3. The Casket Lottery
4. Hot Snakes
5. Supermachiner
6. Placebo
7. Pinback
8. Minus The Bear
9. Asobi Seksu
10. Grey Area

Got My Stereo

2009-05-31T16:27:00.001-07:00

I bet by the title of this blog (and by the photo above), you all thought this post was going to be about FFI's unreleased sophomore album, "Got My Stereo." Actually, I bet none of you thought that - except maybe the 2 people who read this blog that know who FFI is. Regardless, it's not about that at all. See, today I jumped into the 90's and got a new stereo for my car. Yup, I finally ditched the stock cassette/CD combo and upgraded to a fancy-schmancy new model with CD player, aux iPod outlet, USB port, remote control (??), and detachable face. It's pretty radical, it looks cool and futuristic, and buying it makes me feel better about the fact that girls don't like me anymore, and the fact that I have a small penis.

*Side note: While at the Car Stereo Store the salesman asked me what kind of car I drive. Without thinking, I automatically replied "a 2001 Honda Accord." This is odd for 1 main reason: I drive a 2001 Toyota Camry.

Anyways, the main reason I finally decided to upgrade is because of the rapid rate at which I've been obtaining new music lately. I can't possibly keep all of the new CDs in my car, so I'm finding it much easier to put my new aquisitions onto my iPod. Then I can listen to them in my car at my convenience.
So, I've spent the better part of today familiarizing myself with the intracacies of my new stereo (something I NEVER do when I get new electronic equipment). Surprisingly, it's very easily (and much more conveniently) manipulated using the remote control. I have to admit that I initially thought having a remote control for a car stereo was lazy, wasteful, and kinda retarded. I stand corrected.
So, now whenever someone gets in my car with me, they're going to have access to 30 gigs of music - all of which will be played through an awesome sci-fi looking new stereo. This should totally make girls like me, right? I mean, girls like guys with wicked-awesome stereos right? They sure did when I was in high school.

Shattered

2009-05-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

I looked in her eyes but I can see
My place in her is a mystery
Struggle as I try to say
The words I know she won't believe
Growing tired of this game
I almost know what she wants from me
Oh and what does she say?

Well I'm beginning to wonder
I'm beginning to doubt
What kind of spell are you under?
Cuz' I can't figure you out
Keep your eyes away from me
Leave alone, that's what I need

Now don't touch me
Don't look me in the eye
Stay at least a foot away
The more I want, the more I sweat
The more I blow everything I say
You may think I'm bitchin now
But you'll find out who I really am someday

Why don't you give me a sign?
Walk with me, smile, just let me know
Do you like my act?
And am I putting on a good show?
Cause that's all you'll get from me
What am I like? Even I don't know
They call me a fucking "Milo"

Well I don't see the attraction
You're not telling the truth
I don't give satisfaction
And I won't play those games with you
I think you're getting to close to me
Leave alone, that's what I need

My mind is my saving grace
My cage, my hiding place,
My mind helps me chose the place
To keep me from self disgrace
My mind, I wish it could erase
I'd erase everything but your face
Leave your face
Oh not a trace
Except your face
Your face
Your face

Download Descendents "Shattered" here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=613QLFSA

Lady Caca

2009-05-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Lady Gaga,

Seriously, what the fuck?
Your fifteen minutes are up. Please go away now.

Thanks,

White

Stuff I DON'T Hate

2009-05-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Sainte Catherines. Just one of many bands that DON'T suck right now.

So, a bunch of people have complained that all I do is bitch about bands I hate on my blog, and I never talk about bands I love. Actually, no one has complained about this, but in my fantasy world this blog has thousands of loyal readers, all of whom are kept hanging on my every word. Regardless, the fact IS that I do dedicate far more blogspace to horrible bands than I do to good bands. The reason is a simple one: it's WAY more fun (and much funnier) to talk shit about and trash someone terrible like BrokeNCYDE than it is to say nice things about someone great like Future of the Left.

But the truth of the matter is that I've been listening to some pretty f'ing amazing bands and albums lately, and I figured it's about time for me to pimp some shit. So, here goes. Before we get started, here's my little half-assed disclaimer: most (if not all) of the stuff I'm about to talk about is available online to download illegally. It's inevitable that anything and everything either gets leaked or eventually gets posted online. If you're reading my blog, I'm going to assume you knew that already. And while I've been guilty of downloading some music new and old as of late, in no way do I consider this a substitue for actually going out and buying the records (if I like them). If you download music then I suggest you do the same. For the most part, the bands I'm about to discuss can actually use the money they make off of record sales. If you wanna download and keep the new pile of shit from Eminem, be my guest. That guy:
A. Doesn't need your money
B. Sucks donkey balls.

End of disclaimer. On to the music.

Oh, some of these will get in depth descriptions, some won't. Deal with it. And I'm FAR too lazy to provide links in this post, but if you think you might like one of these bands, just do a simple google search. Most of them have MySpace or something similar where you can sample their music.

The Sainte Catherines
Soda Machine
Indica/Outside Records

Face it, Canada doesn't really contribute much to this world. Especially in the musical realm. Thankfully though, not all Canadian exports are bad. Take, for example, Montreal's The Sainte Catherines. These guys play balls-out, whiskey-fueled punk rock in the vein of Leatherface, Gunmoll, or early Against Me! Soda Machine - released last year, is a perfect companion piece to the band's Fat Wreck Chords debut, Dancing for Decadence. Comprised of mostly of b-sides, outtakes, alternate versions, and compilation tracks, Soda Machine drops 25 songs, plus a full DVD into your lap. And while I generally tend to shy away from these types of collections (mainly because they lack in quality), this one absolutely delivers.
Noteworthy Tracks:
"Still Not Getting Any...Credibility," "Westward Bound," and "Sour Grapes."

Gunmoll
Anger Management in Four Chords or Less
No Idea Records

To me, Anger Management in Four Chords or Less (the band's debut album) sounds like a lost Leatherface record (I know, I know...again with the Leatherface references). What else can I say? Oh yeah, this album is long out of print (and going for upwards of $30 on amazon.com, eBay, etc.). If you happen to know of someone that has an actual CD or LP of this, let me know so I can kill them and steal it.
Noteworthy Tracks:
"Down To Me," "Count The Needle," "Codename: Green"

Don't laugh. This is a great fucking record.

Silversun Pickups
Swoon
Dangerbird Records

You know what these guys sound like. This album is better than their first. And their first record was pretty good too.
Noteworthy Tracks:
"The Royal We," "Panic Switch," "There's No Secrets This Year"

The Marked Men
Ghosts
Dirtnap Records

If the Ramones were still a band, and they lived in Texas, they'd be The Marked Men.
Noteworthy Tracks:
"All in Your Head," "I Must Be Dead," "Shaky Ground"

All right...that's all I got right now. I have the shortest attention span in the world, and I've bored myself already. I'll post some more good bands soon. I promise.

BrokeNSHIT

2009-05-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

BrokeNCYDE. What a bunch of fucking douchebags.

I just saw and heard the absolute worst song and video EVER. Well, since the whole Chris Cornell/Timbaland fiasco anyways. It's a song called "Freaxxx" by a screamo-crunk (?!?!?!?) band called BrokeNCYDE. Words can't describe what I'm feeling right now. Please, just watch. I dare you to make it even 60 seconds into this video before you shut it off and/or gouge your own eyeballs out.

Seriously??? WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT????? Man, I'm SO angry right now. Who on earth listens to this fucking garbage? This is so beyond terrible it's not even funny. These retarded dickholes took everything you hate about popular hip-hop and combined it with everything you hate about hipsters and screamo music. It's like Lil' Jon meets Fall Out Boy meets Avenged Sevenfold. And there's NOTHING nice about that. Man, I've heard some unpleasant music in my lifetime, but I'm pretty sure Brokencyde takes the cake. Look out Sublime and Nickelback, there's a new group of douchebags in town. From the looks of the band's MySpace page, it appears that only 12 year olds listen to BrokeNCYDE. This makes me weep for the future.

Urban Dictionary defines BrokeNCYDE as "The act of having a penis inserted into your ear." I think that sums it up nicely.

Next time you see some fucking idiot wearing a BrokeNCYDE t-shirt (or even just dressed like one of the jackasses above), please give them a swift kick to the balls - courtesy of your friend White Goodman.

My Top Artists for the Week of 5/8/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-05-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

1. Broccoli
2. Gunmoll
3. The Sainte Catherines
4. Candy Claws
5. Rancid
6. Meat Puppets
7. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse
8. Rites of Spring
9. The Barlights
10. Sophia

Branded L.A.

2009-05-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

Beginning Monday, May 11 at the Beauty Bar on Cahuenga in Hollywood, CA.

My buddy Scott (AudioFidelity) and I (DJ Tiger) will be DJing Monday nights at Beauty Bar in Hollywood. Hope you can all come down. No cover. Cheap drinks. 21+

From beautybar.com:
BRANDED L.A. hosted by AUDIOFIDELITY and DJ TIGER (Bargain DJ Collective - Las Vegas). Spinning all your favorite classic punk, alternative and indie rock from The Cure to the Clash, Radiohead to Ramones, Built To Spill to Butthole Surfers, Interpol to Iggy Pop and Descendents to Depeche Mode.
http://www.beautybar.com/la/calendar/calendar.php?mode=view&id=7

No Idea Records

2009-05-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is a great mini-doc about Florida indie label/distributor No Idea Records. Thanks to my buddy over at Vulture Squad for originally posting this. Check them out at http://vulturesquad.blogspot.com/

And now for something TOTALLY random: during the end credits of this film they show a flier for a Citizen Fish show. You'll see it at about 5:29 on the left hand side of the screen. This flier is for a show that I booked and promoted at the Cooler Lounge in Las Vegas back in probably 1999 or 2000. My original flier can be seen below. I have no fucking clue how the makers of this film ended up with a copy of my flier, but it's pretty damn cool to see it used. You'll notice that the filmmakers removed the "Big Lizard Records presents" header off my original flier before putting it in their film, but whatever. Maybe they thought I'd sue? Ha ha.

Coachella - The Photos

2009-04-30T15:22:00.001-07:00

All the Coachella photos I was too lazy to add to the last post! Lucky you...

Yours truly - Mr. White Goodman on his way from L.A. to Indio.

Fireworks during Paul McCartney's set.

Officer Andrew Frank Lewis takes pictures of hot dudes with indie rock beards.

Documenting the documenters.

Gyger and beer, back at the condo after day 2.

Officer Lewis and his beer.

Not surprisingly, there were LOTS of dudes at Coachella dressed like this clown.

Officer Lewis objects to having his picture taken in the cocktail lounge.

White Goodman, however, loves that shit.

Meanwhile, Andrew Gyger goes bananas for Joss Stone.

White Goodman grew a sweet 'stache at Coachella.

Finally - My Coachella Post

2009-04-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

I didn't see about 99.3% of these bands.

Sorry I lagged. I've been meaning to post my Coachella blog since I got home from Indio 11 long days ago, but I've been busy at work. And I'm lazy. So, without further ado, here's brief rundown on Coachella 2009, complete with crappy cell phone pics.

I'm going to preface this by saying that up until about 3 days before the start of Coachella, I did not plan on going. But at the last minute, some free tix and VIP passes came through (as well as the opportunity to spend the weekend in a luxurious condo in Rancho Mirage with my 2 best friends), so I willingly made the trek.

Day 1- Friday

The lovely Mrs. Andrea Lewis, the charming Mr. Andrew Gyger and I made it to the Empire Polo Fields about 2:45. First stop - VIP bar where downed our first alcoholic beverage of the day. We mutually agreed that there wasn't anyone truly worth seeing until Leonard Cohen - who didn't go on until 7pm or something, so we hung out in VIP and drank and visited with friends.

Mrs. Lewis and I enjoying the booze in VIP as Franz Ferdinand plays in the background.

By the time Leronard Cohen went on, we were all nice and buzzed. Cohen's set was fantastic, and by far the quietest set I've ever heard from ANY band in my life. You could literally hear a pin drop as he performed. He did a great set including "Everybody Knows," "The Future," "I'm Your Man, " and "Halleluja" amongst many others.

You can't tell, but this is Leonard Cohen and his band.

After Leonard Cohen, we all kind of branched off and went our seperate ways. Dre was off to see Morrissey, Gyger was off to see Beirut, and I headed over to see Girl Talk. After about 3 seconds of Girl Talk I left. Not sure what I was expecting his show to be like, but once it started I just didn't care. So I took off and headed over to see some of Silversun Pickups. The sound was absolutely atrocious (the vocal mix MIGHT be a little too high when it causes peoples ears to bleed), so I decided to head back to grab another beer before rejoining the troops for Paul McCartney. As I passed by Morrissey, he just happened to be performing "How Soon is Now," which is the only Smiths/Morrissey song I like. So that was cool. After pounding my drink, I met up with Gyger, and after trying in vain to find Dre, we decide to head over to grab a spot for McCartney.

Yes, I know I already posted this pic. Fuck off.

Paul McCartney was fucking INCREDIBLE. I consider myself a Beatles fan (though not a total fanatic), and I'm familiar with some of his Wings and solo material, so I was looking forward to his set. But I wasn't prepared to be blown away. He played for 2 1/2 hours and did so many great Beatles songs - "Let it Be," "A Day In The Life," "Hey Jude," "Drive My Car," etc. During an exceptionally rocking version of "Live and Let Die" the stage lit up with pyrotechnics, and the sky lit up with fireworks. It was truly a site to be seen.

As soon as Macca's set was over, we (and the 60,000 other attendees) made a mad dash to the exit. And after my unfortunate incident with a really deep mud puddle, we finally made our way to the vendor parking lot and headed home. Back at the condo, we downed a few beers with Mr. Lewis, hit the hay, and prepared for...

Day 2 - Saturday

Andrew Lewis and Andrew Gyger converge on the VIP bar before the first act of the day.

Saturday it was back to the polo fields bright and early. Andrew Gyger, Mr. Andrew Lewis and I wanted to see POS - who was on first in one of the tents.

POS and his DJ. Gotta love a rapper who plays guitar too.

POS put on an incredibly energetic set for being the first performer on (and for being on at 1pm). After POS' set, Gyger took off to see Ida Maria while Andy and I ventured out into the scalding hot sun to catch Canadian punkers Billy Talent.

Billy Talent on at 1:40 in the blazing sun. It was so fucking hot that I'm surprised these guys didn't burst into flames.

While Billy Talent put on a stellar set, it was just too fucking unbearable being out in the sun, so Andy and I ventured back to the shade and comfort of VIP to have another beer and enjoy the music from afar. It was at this time that we discovered the Cocktail Lounge - an air conditioned tent in the back of VIP with a bar and couches. With the exception of venturing out to see the Bob Mould Band (which I'll discuss shortly) this cocktail lounge would be our home for the majority of the rest of the day.

The legendary Bob Mould.

Bob Mould is one of my favorite songwriters of all time. I'm a huge fan of pretty much everything he's done - from Husker Du to Sugar to his solo material, so it's safe to say I was pretty excited for his set. Having seen him before though, I pretty much knew to only expect solo material. So, Imagine my shock when he opened his set with Sugar's "The Act We Act." He followed that with 2 more Sugar songs ("A Good Idea" and "Changes") before easing into the 2 best tracks from his latest solo record ("Life and Times" and "I'm Sorry Baby, But You Can't Stand in My Light Anymore"), and "See a Little Light" from his groudbreaking solo record Workbook. Then, back to more Sugar ("Hoover Dam" and "If I Can't Change Your Mind").

Bob. Again.

Just when I thought this set couldn't get any better, Bob and the band tore into Husker Du's "I Apologize." And it didn't let up after that - 3 more Husker Du songs - with hardly a break in between to breathe - closed out the set. "Celebrated Summer," "Chartered Trips," and finally, "New Day Rising." I seriously felt like I had been hit by a fucking mack truck - it was so fucking awesome and powerful. I knew at that point no other band would be able to compare to the brilliance that I just witnessed. Andy and I ventured back to the Cocktail Lounge while Gyger went off to brave the heat.

I ran into Bob Mould outside the cocktail lounge in VIP and I told him how incredible his set was, and how cool it was to hear my favorite Husker Du songs. He shook my hand, thanked me, and then smilingly remarked "that was pretty punk rock, huh?"

After that, it all got kinda blurry. I remember David Hasselhoff, some really terrible fashion choices, more beer (and lots of it), something awful called Tinariwen, Jared Leto and his big dumb indie rock beard. After some slight prodding, we convinced Gyger to scrap the rest of his plans for the day so we could all head back to the condo and drink. Which we did.

Day 3 - Sunday
I opted not to go because I'm old, and it was hot, and I had to drive home. I'm bummed I missed the Night Marchers, the Horrors, and My Bloody Valentine, but there will be other opportunities I'm sure.

And thus concludes my Coachella recap. I have more photos to post...but I got too lazy to do it here. Watch for (and prepare to be amazed at) a second post of just terrible cell phone photos (which, now that I think about it, you will have already seen, based on the layout of this blog. Whatever).

Coming Soon: Obligatory Coachella Post

2009-04-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

This guy played at Coachella. His name is Phil McCarthy or something like that. I heard he used to be in a band that was kinda famous.

Yes, I'll post my Coachella review and photos. No I won't do it right now. Soon though.

Safe Boating

2009-04-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Thought the plan was nearly perfect.
Maybe 'cause we so deserved it.
Spent 5 years proving that couldn't be less true.
Nothing's certain, don't I know it.
But 99.9 I'll blow it
Is how you see me. Now I know you do.

The boy who left for the sunny coast
(seems like a hundred years ago) is a ghost.
He's watchin' me with dying eyes.
Remember me? The boy who kissed you on the pier.
Tobacco whispers in your ear
of faith and confidence, "We only need to try."

It's not a problem. Please believe me.
I'm exactly where I need to be.
I can't do nothin' till you all say I won't.
All alone is always lonely.
The chance to prove 'em wrong is the only
motivation I have ever known.

"So tell me do they pay you for that?"
It's the only thing I'm any good at.
Then he'd just laugh. "You're a funny boy!
Depends on what you mean by 'good at'."

It's not about them. No it's between us.
I made a mess. So while I clean up,
take the car and chase your heart out west.

It's a matter of time before I know all I need to know.
Goodbye. See you when I'm able to show you something better.
So much better.
A matter of time, matter of time, please and I'll know, time, just gimme some time, PLEASE! and I'll know.
If I can ever be again as good as
The boy who left for the sunny coast
(seems like a hundred years ago).
He's a ghost who's watchin' me with dying eyes.
Remember me? The boy who kissed you on the pier.
Tobacco whispers in your ear
of faith and confidence,
but it's not enough to,
it's not enough to love you.
It's not enough to try.

My Top Artists for the Week of 4/10/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-04-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

1. The Sleepover Disaster
2. Crippled Black Phoenix
3. Bob Mould
4. White Belt Yellow Tag
5. The Horrors
6. Yaphet Kotto
7. Beastie Boys
8. Obits
9. Dananananaykroyd
10. Sinaloa

F(or) Scott (whose last name isn't) Fitzgerald

2009-04-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

More stuff for Scott. Just some vids I think he'd enjoy.

Nothin'

2009-04-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

when it adds up to nothin'
it makes you wonder why you try.
stunned and numb left wondering why
when the truth is cruel, the lies turn white.

i called and couldn't reach you,
i got too hung up.
i'm a phase that you've outgrown,
lying in the darkness all alone.

you got a fake i.d.
and somewhere else to be
with someone who isn't me.

tell yourself it meant something,
used to mean a lot to me.
something died, just the pain survived.
when i got tired of crying i dried my eyes.

burn the bridges that you must,
past to ashes, trust to dust,
empty loneliness and lust.

love wasn't enough,
trust wasn't enough.

i believed what you said was true,
ever always only you.
just another broken trust,
nothing's forever.

i believe what you said was true.
it wasn't enough.
and i believe that you meant it too.
it wasn't enough

'cause your promise means nothin'
much less than nothing',
'cause you left me with nothing now.

Great Scott!

2009-04-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of videos for my buddy Scott. He's going through some shit right now, and I thought these might help.

ALL? No, ALL!

2009-04-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

ALL (featuring Scott Reynolds) will be performing in Southern California in July!!!

I really don't have much else to say here except that one of my all-tme favorite bands - ALL - will be performing 3 shows in Southern California in July. I'm so fucking stoked...

Friday, July 17th at the San Diego House of Blues
Saturday, July 18th at the Anaheim House of Blues
Sunday, July 19th at the Sunset Strip House of Blues

Big Drill Car and My Name are also on the bill, which is pretty fucking cool too. But all that really matters is that ALL is going to be here. With Scott Reynolds. Sick...

For those of you who don't know, ALL is the band that the Descendents became after their singer, Milo Aukerman left to go to college. From Wikipedia:

“Milo went to college, and ALL was born. Rather than quietly lay down their tools and fade into legend, Bill Stevenson, Stephen Egerton and Karl Alvarez formed an offshoot band from the Descendents in 1987.

ALL formed in suburban Los Angeles. ALL first saw singer Dave Smalley in some of the earlier albums such as ‘Allroy Sez’ and ‘Allroy For Prez’. Smalley later gave way to singer Scott Reynolds who appeared on the albums ‘Allroy’s Revenge’, ‘Trailblazer’, ‘Allroy Saves’, and ‘Percolator’. The ‘New Girl, Old Story’ album in 1991 saw All credited as TonyALL and featured their old Descendents bandmate Tony Lombardo on vocals.

Once Scott moved on, current singer Chad Price stepped in. Price has spent some time in the studio with ALL as well on such albums as ‘Breaking Things’, ‘Pummel’, ‘Mass Nerder’, ‘Problematic’, and the live album ‘Live Plus One’.

Although ALL is mostly made up of members of the Descendents, and most of the songs are written by the same people in both bands, few can deny that ALL has its own distinct sound while still letting the Descendents bleed through.”

Blog

2009-03-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't updated this blog recently. Well, not a real update anyways. I'm sorry. The reason is this: I started a new blog and I've pretty much been focusing all of my attention there. It's another music blog, but it's different than I Hate All Your Favorite Bands. See, bak in the late 90's I toured with a band from Los Angeles (I lived in Vegas at the time). While on this 2+ month trek I kept a daily journal of our misadventures on the road. For more than 10 years, this journal has just sat around collecting dust. Recently I sort of re-connected with the band I toured with (Dead Lazlo's Place), and we got to talking about all the funny/crazy/stupid shit that happened on the road. I guess reliving all of those old memories was what gave me the idea to transcribe my journal into a blog. Now, unless you know me or know the band, or have been on tour, this new blog will probably be of little interest. But feel free to check it out if you want. It's called the Deep and Wide U.S. Tour Journal 1998-1999 and it's linked somewhere on this page. It's chock full of stupid stories, desperate attempts to get laid, copious amounts of drug and alcohol abuse, fart jokes, and horrible photos taken with a disposable camera.

So, there you have it. I actually do plan on updating this blog sometime soon. I've been thinking I should spend more time on this blog discussing bands I like, and less time blathering on about bands I hate, so I'll keep that in mind for my next post.

Rock.

My Top Artists for the Week of 3/27/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-03-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

1. Leatherface
2. Frank Black
3. Goodbye Harry
4. Blonde Redhead
5. Drag the River
6. Ultraman
7. Cursive
8. Mastodon
9. Sweet Cobra
10. Johnny Foreigner

What I Hate

2009-03-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have to admit there is one thing I like about Sublime: the dog.

I talk a lot of shit about a lot of shitty bands. This may be the most obvious statement I've ever made. But no band irks me more than Sublime. Not even Nickelback. Not even Dave Matthews Band. Not even M.I.A. or Gwen Stefani or Hinder. People often ask me why I have such an extreme distaste for Sublime, and I think the main reason is that I used to actually like them. Now, before you all collectively laugh and point your fingers at me, remember this: I wasn't always the supreme ruler of awesome music that I am today - I used to like Reel Big Fish and 311 too. We all go through crappy music phases. Some people are fortunate enough to have grown out of them. And some people still listen to Candlebox.

So, yeah, I was a Sublime fan (I celebrated the band's entire catalog). Back in 1996, before their eponymous major label debut was released, Sublime was still a staple on college radio, of which I was a fan and participant. During that time, Sublime's music really struck a chord with me, and I think it's safe to say that I considered myself a huge fan. To put my fandom into perspective, during this time I also listened to a lot of ska and smoked pot everyday, so it kinda makes sense.

So, why do I loathe them so much now? A few reasons. First, they're so played out. Seriously. It's been 12 or 13 years since Bradley died, and I still hear that god-damned "Santeria" song at least once a week. ENOUGH ALREADY. You might argue that "it's been 29 years since John Lennon died, and I still hear Beatles songs every week." Valid point, except you're forgetting one thing: THE BEATLES ARE A GOOD BAND.

Second, Sublime have become the defacto favorite band of every date-raping frat boy jock asshole. If you're ever in a crowded bar and Sublime comes on the jukebox, you'll immediately know how many douchebags you're surrounded by because all the Sublime fans will simultaneously pump their fists into the air and start high-fiving each other. They will then proceed to sing along with every fucking word to whichever terrible fucking Sublime song is being played (most likely "Santeria," "What I got," or, ironically, "Date Rape"). Speaking of the Sublime douchebag factor - I was DJing at a bar in Vegas a few years back and I played Bad Religion's classic "We're Only Gonna Die," a song that Sublime covers on their debut album, "40 OZ. To Freedom." As this song was playing, a douchebag with a quizzical look approached me. He asked me what band I was playing. When I told him it was Bad Religion, his response was "oh, they're covering Sublime." Ugh. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you.

Ska isn't cool anymore, guys. Apparently you didn't get the memo. And while Sublime is technically not a band anymore, sadly, their legacy lives on. Whether it's Long Beach Dub All Stars or the Long Beach Short Bus or whatever they're calling themselves, they're still torturing the world with their annoying brand of surfer-stoner-ska. Lucky us.

Recently, Sublime did a reunion, of sorts. And how fitting that such a crappy band reunited in a crappy Mexican restaurant (Cantina Los Tres Hombres) in a crappy town (Reno, NV). Apparently it was sort of an impromptu reunion, which I'm guessing probably caused such a commotion in the bar where it happened that the frat boys quit date raping their dates long enough to sing the chorus to "What I Got."

My Top Artists for the Week of 3/13/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-03-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

1. Heroes of Switzerland

2. Swervedriver
3. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
4. Blonde Redhead
5. Bhopal Stiffs
6. Cap'n Jazz
7. National Skyline
8. Husker Du
9. Drag the River
10. Jon Snodgrass

The Process of Weeding Out

2009-03-12T17:17:00.001-07:00

This is not me. Nor is this my CD collection.

So, I've begun what will ultimately be a daunting (and ongoing) task - paring down my unusually large CD collection to just the bare essentials. What would I consider "the bare essentials," you might ask? That's a question that doesn't have an easy answer. But I'll get back to that in a minute.

The more important question you might be asking is "why would you want to trim down the CD collection you've spent half your life building up?" This is a fair question. Let me say this: I'm proud of my collection. I've put a lot of time and energy into building a respectable CD library that would make most people jealous. But the simple fact of the matter is that with the popularity of digital music these days, physical CDs are rapidly declining in value. And parusing my 3000+ collection of CDs I'm seeing a lot of filler - albums by bands I don't much listen to anymore, "imports" and CD singles from bands that I gathered during my completist phase, multiple copies of the same album (perhaps one copy was an import, or one copy had bonus tracks), etc. My reasoning is this: if i don't "need" this stuff, I might as well get rid of some of it now before CDs lose their value completely.

So far, I've pulled a couple hundred discs from my collection. But as I said, this is ongoing, so that number is likely to increase.

Now, back to the "bare essentials" question. Below are some examples of what I would consider bare essentials.

Sometimes a band's entire catalog is essential - Dead Milkmen, Husker Du, Descendents, ALL, Leatherface, Treepeople, Built to Spill, The Pavers, Chokebore, Hum, Catherine Wheel, etc. I could go on and on.

Sometimes it'll be bands I love, but don't necessarily need their entire discography, so only certain albums are essential - Idlewild, Helmet, Flaming Lips, Dinosaur Jr., Meat Puppets, Supersuckers, etc.

Sometimes it'll be a band I enjoy, but don't listen to frequently enough to warrant keeping more than one or two essential albums - Ministry, Ramones, Fugazi, Negativland, Tool, Henry Rollins, etc.

The criteria for deciding what to get rid of make up 6 different categories, represented below (with examples!).

Like the band, but do I really need all this (CD singles, bootlegs, imports, live albums) - Foo Fighters, Sisters of Mercy, Lush, Afghan Whigs, Mr. Bungle, Smoking Popes, etc.

Stuff I can rip to the computer (ie: not important enough to keep physically, but definitely worth keeping digitally) - Urge Overkill, Drive Like Jehu, The Muffs, Girls Against Boys, Jeff Buckley, Shat, etc.

Like 'em, but don't ever need to hear them again - Social D, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.

Don't even like anymore: AKA Why the fuck do I have CDs by these artists? - Sublime, 311, Mike Patton's solo records, Les Claypool, Lee "Skratch" Perry, etc.

Don't love, don't hate. Just don't need - The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Marilyn Manson, Transplants, R.L. Burnside, Medeski, Martin & Wood, etc.

Disappointing new albums by otherwise decent bands - Kings of Leon, Mudhoney, Alkaline Trio, etc.

Now I need to decide exactly how to get rid of the CDs I've chosen. Do I take them to Amoeba and dump them all in one fell swoop? Do I attempt to put them all on eBay or half.com and try to sell them one by one? Do I list them all in this blog and see if anyone wants to trade? Or do I just crack another beer and say "fuck it - I'll worry about it tomorrow?"

I choose the latter.

My Top Artists for the Week of 3/6/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-03-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

1. National Skyline

2. Husker Du

3. Million Dead

4. Treepeople

5. The Cure

6. Swervedriver

7. Bhopal Stiffs

8. Mogwai

9. Sugar

10. The Nils

Chris Cornhole

2009-03-04T12:02:00.001-08:00

I don't like this band.

I'm going to say this right off the bat: I don't like Soundgarden. I never really have. Granted, they had a few decent songs, but when it comes to Seattle-grunge-bands-who-got-signed-to-major-labels, I'll take Mudhoney or Nirvana over Soundgarden anyday. Hell, even a couple of those Alice in Chains records were pretty decent (Dirt and Jar of Flies, to be exact).*

But this isn't to say that I don't like Chris Cornell. Surprisingly, I kinda dug his first solo record, Euphoria Morning. And for all the Soundgarden naysaying I do, I still always kinda respected Cornell as a musician. Until recently...

A few months back, Cornell announced that he was teaming up with hip-hop "producer" Timbaland for a hot new sound. Supposedly this collaboration was going to break new ground, musically. Needless to say I was a bit skeptical. It kinda sounded to me like a shitty ploy on Cornell's part to sell some records and make some money. But, whatever. Regardless of what it was supposed to be, or what it really was, NOTHING about this collaboration sounded appealing. In fact, I wasn't even going to give it a chance since I was so sure it would sound about as "cool" as retards farting or The Jonas Brothers - which, now that I think about it, are kinda the same thing.

I might just hate this album cover more than I hate the song. No, I hate the song more.

A couple of months ago, Scott sent me an unsolicited video of "Scream," the first single from the Cornell/Timbaland album. Out of morbid curosity, I watched it. The video starts off with an emaciated, heroin-chic Cornell blathering on about how this collaboration was his opportunity to "disconnect with all the preconceptions of what a rock album or a rock singer should be." He then goes on to declare that this is "the most album oriented album I've ever done." Whatever the fuck that means.

Then the music starts. And holy crap is it bad. Terribly lame generic R&B beats (that sound like they were made by Wesley Willis on his Casio) with Cornell nasally asking "why you keep screaming at the top of your head?" The top of your head? Really? Don't you mean the top of your lungs? How exactly does one scream at the top of one's head?

I knew this was going to be bad, but I had no idea just how bad it would be.

This past Monday, MySpace was kind enough to allow the 12 year olds that still use their site the opportinuty to stream the whole album before it's released in stores this coming Tuesday. And I HAD to hear it.

And it only got worse.

It's like they did everything in their power to alienate both urban music fans AND rock music fans. It sounds like Timbaland (who isn't exceptionally talented to start with) totally stole the beats from Microsoft Songsmith, while Cornell recorded his wuss vocals (complete with remedial lyrics) from the hospital immediately following the removal of his balls. This shit is bad, but not in the sense that it's terrible and people will dig it (like Lady Gaga or M.I.A.), it's just so terribly bland that no one will notice (the fact that it's terrible) or give a shit (that it even exists). It's like 2 dudes that failed "Urban Music 101" were given a shit ton of money to make the most forgettable record of the year. Best of luck to the marketing department at UMG who are saddled with the daunting task of trying to market this shit. R&B fans won't dig this, and rock fans certainly won't care. Good luck with that one, guys!

I thought about posting a link to the video for "Scream" here, but I don't want to do anything that might be misconstrued as "promotion" of this album. If you really need to hear this nonsense, check the .99 cent bin at your local record store about this time next week.

* All those random Soundgarden and Alice in Chains side projects like Temple of the Dog and Mad Season were fucking awful. Just sayin.'

My Top Artists for the Week of 2/27/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-02-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

1. Idlewild
2. Shiner
3. Dead Milkmen
4. Descendents
5. ALL
6. Snuff
7. Sonic Youth
8. Husker Du
9. Mudhoney
10. Dwarves

Wreck Chord Les Belles

2009-02-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

In 1999 I started up an independent record label - Big Lizard Records. Techincally, I ran this label from 1999-2006, though my last official release came out in 2004. In the course of the 7 years Big Lizard existed, I released probably 10-12 CDs and a 7" record. None of these releases went platinum or gold (I think one of them went paper, and one went wood, but I could be wrong). None of these releases changed the world. None of these releases made me millions of dollars. None of the bands got signed to a major after I put out their records. None of these bands achieved absurd amounts of fame as a result of being on my label. I didn't expect any of that when I started my label. I wanted to be involved with music, but I was always better at the business side of music than the performance side of music, so a label made perfect sense. I was good at talking to people about music. I was good at getting people excited about new bands (whether or not they were on my label). I was good at working the press and getting loads of free publicity. And I was great at making even the smallest event by the most unknown band seem like the event of the year. I had a great business sense, and lots of good connections, so it benefitted the bands to work with me. Not that I'm some record label innovator or anything, but I was good at what I did, and Big Lizard definitely served it's purpose during the time it existed. I was one of the few people doing a record label at the time, and Big Lizard Records was a very well known and respected brand in the Las Vegas music scene. I was pretty highly regarded in Sin City. Some might even say successful, though I suppose that's all relative. Regardless, it was a labor of love and I loved it dearly.

Side bar: Here's my favorite quote from the peak of my label's existence. It was in an article on The Killers in the Las Vegas Mercury:
Strange, then, that a band called the Killers would redefine the city's musical paradigm. Fronted by a 23-year-old Mormon with a passion for golf and tailored vests, the Killers followed a seemingly unconventional path to international rock stardom. They didn't play a lot of shows in town. They didn't release an album on Ryan Kinder's Big Lizard Records. They didn't even maintain a website to keep local fans abreast of band events. Instead, they retained the services of Robert Reynolds, a savvy local entertainment lawyer, and began courting executives from major labels. Soon, they were jetting off to L.A. in Rick Rubin's private jet and inking a multimillion-dollar deal with the Island Def Jam Music Group.

Anyways, I ended up making some poor decisions in my life, and those decisions coupled with the majority of my bands either breaking up or going on hiatus were what lead to the demise of Big Lizard Records in 2006.

Flash forward to 2009. My life is back on track again and I've been considering relaunching Big Lizard. I've enthusiastically talked about it with a few friends, but it wasn't until I discussed it with Scott last weekend that I realized that the record biz has changed drastically in the few short years since I shuttered BLR. If I were to start it up again, I'd have the whole digital music revolution to take into account. In fact, it would probably be downright stupid to even consider producing physical CDs and LPs. For most music listeners, CDs are already a dead format. The majority of people are so accustomed to the convenience and ease of iTunes (or whatever digital downloading outlet they use) that buying an actual CD seems impractical.

Side bar #2: I would like to point out that I am NOT one of the people I mentioned above. As I've mentioned before in this blog, I still go to record stores and still buy CDs and LPs. To be honest with you, I've only used iTunes to download 2 songs, and those were 2 songs (Built to Spill songs, in case you were wondering) that weren't available anywhere else. There's something about having physical product in my hands that's still so exciting to me. I still love tearing into a new CD or LP and checking out the artwork and reading the liner notes. I can't imagine ever NOT enjoyig this. Likewise, I can't even imagine becoming a download only guy. It's just not my thing.

So this leaves me to ponder the following questions: would I still enjoy owning and operating a record label if I wasn't actually releasing real CDs and or LPs? And, what's the point of owning a record label if all you do is release stuff digitally? What good is a record label to a band when the bands can digitally release stuff themselves? The record label essentially becomes the unnecessary middle man. And unlike Lucky Pierre, I don't like being in the middle.

R.I.P. Lux Interior

2009-02-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

R.I.P. Lux Interior of The Cramps.

My Top Artists for the Week of 1/23/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-01-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

1. Treepeople
2. The Drama
3. Torche
4. NoMeansNo
5. Blonde Redhead
6. Mogwai
7. Armchair Martian
8. Sean Na Na
9. Johnny Foreigner
10. Jay Reatard

An Open Letter to Katy Perry

2009-01-21T15:15:00.001-08:00

Dear Katy Perry,

You are dumb. Please stop making
"music" now. Thanks.

Your friend,

White Goodman

Blonde Redhead

2009-01-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

Blonde Redhead were always one of those bands I knew of, but I just wasn't really familiar with their music. You know, one of those bands that your friends listen to, and that are spoken highly of in magazines that matter, but for some reason you never got around to hearing them. This was until I saw and heard them for the first time at This Ain't No Picnic in 2002. For those unaware, This Ain't No Picnic was an annual indie-rock festival held at Oak Canyon Ranch in Irvine, CA in the late 90's and early 00's. I actually think that 2002 was the last year they did the Picnic, which isn't all that surprising considering the sub-par bands that played that year (Jimmy Eat World, The Donnas, Pretty Girls Make Graves). Anyways, Blonde Redhead played a stellar set in the mid-afternoon. I remember sitting on the lawn, being so capitaved by their sound, that I vowed that I would immediately go out and buy one of their albums.

But, I didn't.

Five years later, I was still saddled with the "I really need to check them out" guilt when a friend of mine came to visit me. On her laptop was Blonde Redhead's 23 - which as of this post, is their most recent album (though it actually came out in 2007).

She burned it for me, I took it to work, and instantly fell in love (Relax, I eventually went out and bought a real copy from a real CD store. I'm ALWAYS doing my part to support good music/bands). This was in March of 2008. I've listened to this record at least 3 times a week every week since I got it (probably more, in most cases). Since Monday alone I've listened to the album 7 times (according to my iTunes and last.fm). I find this album to be of great comfort to me. When I'm stressed at work (or when I just need to wind down), I put this album on. When I was making the LONG, BORING drive from Colorado to California this summer, I listened to this album repeatedly to keep my mind off of the monotony of my journey. If I'm having trouble sleeping, I'll put this album on - it's very soothing.
I've since purchased other albums from Blonde Redhead (christ, they have a million trillion fucking albums), but none has been able to match the excellence of 23. Not that the other record are terrible, they just can't compare.
As I listen to 23 for the 3rd time today, I thought I might as well blog about it.

My Top Artists for the Week of 1/16/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-01-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

1. The Drama

2. mouthbreather

3. Blonde Redhead

4. The Dukes of Hillsborough

5. Glasvegas

6. Sweet Cobra

7. Goodbye Harry

8. Sean Na Na

9. The Halo Benders

10. Mogwai

My Top Artists for the Week of 1/9/09 - Provided by Last.fm

2009-01-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

1. Mogwai
2. Glasvegas
3. Goodbye Harry
4. The Pavers
5. Sean Na Na
6. Crow Flies
7. Starflyer 59
8. Glifted
9. Poison Idea
10. The Marked Men

I Buy CDs

2009-01-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

A new friend of mine recently asked me the following question:
"How do you buy your music? iTunes or another mp3 site?"
My response was that I still actually buy CDs. Like, I go to a record store and purchase actual compact discs. I do. For reals. Sure, I may bring them home and import them into my iTunes or whatever media device I use, but still...

Now, I realize I'm part of a dying breed of music fan - but I'm not here to toot my own horn (though it does deserve tooting from time to time). I guess the whole digital music purchasing revolution didn't really fully hit me until my friend asked me the above question. I wonder if I'll always be a sucker for the artwork, photos and liner notes that accompany physical CDs (and don't even get me started on the artwork and inserts that come with vinyl LPs - which I also still purchase).

I suspect I will.

Anywho, I spent part of my holiday "break" in Colorado - my second home. While I was there, I purchased some CDs. When I got back to the City of Angels, I also did some CD/LP shopping. For no other reason than to stroke my own ego, I shall post a list of what I got. Suck it.

Mogwai The Hawk is Howling CD
Mogwai Rock Action CD
I'm slowly completing my Mogwai catalog. Their latest album, The Hawk is Howling, is BRILLIANT.

Ghost Buffalo Ghost Buffalo CD
Ghost Buffalo The Magician CD
Ghost Buffalo The Magician LP
Delicious Vinyl Collective Sampler LP
OK, so, I know the guy who runs Suburban Home Records and Vinyl Collective (on which the preceeding were released). I've had The Magician forever as a free download (courtesy of Suburban Home), but I wanted the actual CD. Suburban Home ran a holiday special where you could get Ghost Buffalo's 2 CDs plus an autographed copy of The Magician on vinyl plus the Delicious Collective Vinyl sampler LP for one low price.

The Hellacopters Rock & Roll is Dead CD
I think this was The Hellacopters' final CD. In my opinion, this band really hit their stride with 2004's By The Grace of God, and that stride continued with this record (which was released in 2005 or 2006 depending on the country you live in). It's too bad they broke up - they were fucking great.

Modest Mouse Building Nothing Out of Something CD
I used to have this CD back in the day, but one of my former "friends" stole it and sold it for drug money. Anyways, this is a great collection of a bunch of old Modest Mouse 7"s on the Up, Sub Pop, and Suicide Squeeze labels.

Blonde Redhead 23 CD
This CD would have easily made my Best of 2007 list had I actually obtained it in 2007. Sadly, I didn't get this gem until 2008 when a friend burned it for me. To this day, it ranks as one of my favorite albums of all time. Seriously. This record is as close to a perfect record as you're ever going to find.

Crow Flies Live in August CD
Crow Flies are, hands down, my favorite band from Colorado Springs. During the short time I lived in that town, I did the booking for the Triple Nickel Tavern (which is owned by JJ Nobody of The Nobodys and Drag the River), and I booked Crow Flies as often as possible. They were not only my favorite band (their brand of alt-country/americana makes Ryan Adams look like the fucking talentless hack that he is), but 2 of the nicest guys I've ever met in my life. This live CD was recorded at the Nickel, and it captures them in all their glory.

Sean Na Na Family Trees or Cope We Must CD
Sean Tillman is a great songwriter and a great musician. I loved Calvin Krime and I love Sean Na Na (let's just forget about his brief period as Har Mar Superstar). Family Trees... - released in 2007 on Dim Mak - doesn't disappoint those of us who enjoy his catchy indie pop. I'm not sure if I should add or subtract points for having Greg Dulli guest on this record though...

Arliss Nancy Rust EP CD
These guys opened for Crow Flies when I was back in Colorado for Xmas. They were great live. On CD, not so much.

Supersuckers Get it Together CD
I love the Supersuckers. I suppose I always will, though, as witnessed by Get it Together - their latest album - they're getting older and are forgetting how to rock. Granted I've only listened to this record once, but it hasn't grabbed me at all. Oh how I long for the days of La Mano Cornuda or The Smoke of Hell. On the upside, these guys will have a long and prosperous career as a country band.

Starflyer 59 Dial M CD
Yes, I know they're a Christian band. And yes, that bothers me. But god damn these guys are fucking good. Don't believe me? Check out their album, Americana. I dare you to NOT like it.